The present invention generally relates to a content usage management system, a content usage management method, and program providing media for providing a program implementing the above-described method. More specifically, the invention relates to a content usage-fee management system and a content usage-fee management method for use in a content transaction system for distributing various items of content information, such as music data, image data, game programs, etc., to users in the form of recording media, such as compact discs (CDs), digital versatile discs (DVDs), etc., or via a network, and for collecting the usage fee charged for the use of the content from the users or providing usage points to the user. The present invention also pertains to a program providing medium for providing a program implementing the above-described content usage-fee management method. More specifically, the invention pertains to a content usage-fee management system and a content usage-fee management method for use in the above-described content transaction system, for managing a usage fee based on a charge recorded in a usage log created by a user, and for preventing illegal transactions and uncollectible transactions by checking for an inappropriately large amount of the usage fee in advance. The invention also relates to a program providing medium for providing a program implementing the above-described content usage-fee management method.
The present invention also relates to a content usage management system and a content usage management method for creating an issue log in which the usage period and the maximum allowable amount of use are set and allowing the settlement of only the charge paid within the usage period so as to reinforce the management of the issue log, and for preventing the distribution of illegal issue logs and the occurrence of illegal transactions caused by the illegal issue logs. The invention also pertains to a program providing medium for providing a program implementing the above-described content usage management method.
Various software data, such as game programs, audio data, image data, document composing programs, etc. (hereinafter referred to as the “content”) are distributed via networks, such as the Internet, or storage media, such as DVDs and CDs. Generally, the distribution content can be read in recording/reading apparatuses, such as personal computers (PCs) or game machines, owned by users, or can be stored in recording devices attached to the recording/reading apparatuses, such as hard disks and memory cards formed of, for example, an electrically erasable and programmable read only memory (EEPROM) or a flash memory.
The various types of contents, such as data and programs stored in distribution recording media, for example, DVDs and CDs, or in storage devices, such as memory cards, are directly read from an information apparatus, such as a PC or a game machine, which serves as a reading unit, or are read through an input unit connected to the information apparatus, according to a user's instruction. Such data and programs may be read via a display unit or may be output via a speaker, connected to the information apparatus rather than being directly read from the information apparatus.
Generally, distribution rights of many software contents, such as game programs, music data, and image data, are owned by the creators and sellers of such software contents. Accordingly, a fee is collected when the content is distributed via a network or recording media, such as DVDs or CDs. Alternatively, when the content is distributed via a network, such as the Internet, user information, such as a user's credit card number, is obtained, and the charge for the provision of the content, i.e., the usage fee, is collected.
In distributing the content, security against, for example, illegal copying must be considered. Various systems have been proposed for providing the content data through a network or recording media, such as DVDs or CDs, only to legal users.
One concept for providing the content only to legal users is “superdistribution”. In “superdistribution”, the content, which is software data, such as game programs, music data, image data, and document composing programs, is distributed while protecting the rights of content providers and content managers. The configuration of “superdistribution” is shown in FIG. 1.
Content providers 101 and 102 respectively provide contents 103 and 104 to a user terminal 105. A content ID, which is an identifier of the content, is added to each of the contents 103 and 104. When the user terminal 105 receives the content 103 or 104 with the content ID, a determination processor 107 determines whether the user terminal 105 is a legal user terminal which is allowed to use the content. This determination is made based on the user ID of the user terminal 105 and the content usage conditions stored in a first storage unit 106. The content usage conditions are usage conditions which have been set by the content provider 101 or 102 for each user. If the determination processor 107 determines based on the content usage conditions that the content can be used, the content usage log is stored in a second storage unit 108 while associating the user ID with the content ID.
The content provider 101 or 102 collects the content usage log stored in the second storage unit 108 of the user terminal 105, and charges the usage fee according to the log. In this manner, in “superdistribution”, the content usage conditions are determined for each user, and the usage log is recorded for each content. Thus, the use of the content is restricted to legal users, thereby enabling the collection of the usage fee.
In the above-described configuration of “superdistribution”, although the content usage log is recorded, a fee collection system based on the usage log is not clearly indicated, and one of the following conventional methods has to be employed for paying the fee. (1) The user inputs his/her credit card number through the user terminal and sends it to a content provider, a service provider, or a content right-of-use sales center for managing the rights of the use of the content. (2) The user inputs his/her bank account number through the user terminal and sends it to a content provider, a service provider, or a content right-of-use sales center. (3) The user makes a user registration, and also registers a credit card number or a bank account number in a content provider, a service provider, or a content right-of-use sales center. Then, the content provider, the service provider, or the content right-of-use sales center deducts the usage fee based on the registered data.
According to the above-described payment methods, the user's credit card number or bank account number is required. It is however difficult for the users who do not own a credit card or a bank account to use these methods. Additionally, the amount of money for each transaction of the content is becoming smaller, for example, only a single piece of music may be one unit of transaction in the music distribution. In this case, the fee for the content may be only a small amount of money, such as a few hundred yen or a few thousand yen. By being requested to provide a credit card number or a bank account number for such a small amount of payment, the user is discouraged to employ such a transaction system. This is one of the reasons that the spread of content distribution has been hampered.
Moreover, once the content is distributed to the market, it may be transacted or transferred between users. It is difficult to control the transactions between users, which contributes to the widespread of illegal copies. In transactions between users, in general, nothing is guaranteed for the users providing the content. For example, it is not guaranteed that a user who has received the content will pay to the user who has provided the content.